15 Rad, Influential, and Super-Fast Cyclists You Need to Follow Today

For Black History Month, we celebrate riders and racers who are making the sport better for everyone.

By
Ayesha McGowan

Feb 8, 2019

Editor’s Note: Ayesha McGowan (@ayesuppose) is an elite-level road racer who’s on a mission to become the first African American female pro cyclist. She put together this list—but we think she should be on it, too.

It’s Black History Month, and if you aren't already aware of all the rad folks who are currently making black history in cycling, now is the time to get on that. It was extremely challenging to narrow all the influential black cyclists out there down to this list, but ultimately these racers, advocates, mechanics, and generally incredible riders were selected for their ability to share their joy for bikes and inspire others in a sport where, traditionally, black cyclists get very little exposure. Here are 15 riders you should have on your radar—and your Instagram feed.

Brooklyn Bell (@badgal_brooky, also pictured in the lead photo) is an artist, graphic design student, and outdoor adventurer. If she’s on two wheels (she also climbs, skis, and backpacks, among other activities), she’s likely riding one of her Kona bikes and trying to figure out the boundaries of what’s possible on a new trail (watch her send). Bell is also a leader for diversity in the outdoors: She’s an artist for Brown Girls Climb, a rock-climbing community for women of color, and part of the Emerging Leaders program for SHIFT, an organization based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming that uses outdoor recreation to promote conservation.

Josh Hartman (@prohartman) knew he wanted to race for a living since he was a kid. A natural athlete, he began winning junior races near his home in Brooklyn after just a few months of riding. Even after surviving a horrific, potentially life-threatening crash at Red Hook Crit in 2013, Hartman persevered, and eventually made it to the U.S. national team on the track. Today, he rides at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, working towards competing in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

Laura Solís (@lalitasotera) was a recipient of the 2017 Women’s Bicycle Mechanic Scholarship from QBP. Since then she’s been working as a freelance mechanic, performing tune-ups and repairs from her home in Portland, Oregon, and working as neutral support for hire at events around the country. The inside scoop: She’s got an instructional YouTube channel coming down the pipeline. “It's more exciting for me to share my knowledge than to just sit quietly in a corner with bikes,” she says. “Bikes don't talk back and I've got a lot to say.”

Thirteen-year-old Maize “aMAIZEn” Wimbush (@amaizencyclist) is small, but she packs a big punch. Based out of White Plains, Maryland, her goal is to be the first African American woman to race road bikes in the Olympics. She’s been racing since she was nine years old, and in 2018 was ranked fourth in her age group nationally by USA Cycling. (Meanwhile, she manages to be on the honor roll, take accelerated math classes, and play clarinet in the school band.) All of her hard work has resulted in a spot on TeamTwenty20’s junior development squad. Maize is targeting the 2024 Olympics, which means I’ve already marked my calendar to book a flight for Paris and watch her crush it!

Reggie Miller (@reggiemillertnt)is best known for his Hall of Fame-worthy NBA career. But he hasn’t slowed down since retirement. Despite his busy schedule as an NBA announcer on TNT, his Instagram feed is filled with mountain bike racing and riding adventures in his Boombaby kit, a collaboration with Castelli to raise money for the Dropping Dimes Foundation. (Read more about Reggie's journey through mountain biking.)

Ellie Carey (@ellieacarey) is only 7 years old, but she’s already a world champ. In 2017, she beat 39 other racers in the 5-7 age group category to take the UCI World Champion title in BMX. According to AZCentral, Carey started riding Strider bikes at 18 months, and won her first BMX race at age 4—against boys. I personally keep Ellie’s motto, “do it anyway,” in mind whenever I’m feeling nervous or unsure about my next big challenge. Keep an eye on this girl, she’s goin’ places.

Courtney Williams (@thebrownbikegirl) started a bicycle advocacy consultancy that helps local governments, companies, and organizations engage and encourage ridership within communities of color. She’s an amazing ride leader, a top-notch public speaker, and her Outside Advocate clinic, which provides anti-bias and anti-privilege training, is a must for any institution trying to navigate the waters of cultural competency in the cycling world.

Sika Henry (@sikahenry) was a swimmer all four years of high school, and was an All-American track athlete in college, but didn’t find triathlon until she was 25. Now, she wants to be the first African American female pro triathlete. In addition to being a champion for diversity in triathlon (her website points out that African Americans only make up 0.5 percent of the sport), her blog and social media are an open and honest account of her journey.

Veronica Davis (@VeronicaODavis) will be the first to say that she isn't trying to ride very fast, or very far, but she champions using bikes for recreation and transportation. She is a civil engineer, an urban planner, and a bike advocate who co-founded Black Women Bike, an organization based out of D.C. As a former bike advocate, it was refreshing for me to see a community built by black women, to get black women on bikes—before Black Women Bike was founded in 2011, the advocacy space was really excited about women (mostly white), and youth of color, but black women were being ignored.

Since 2015, Damon Elmore (@cycling_4_good) has been leading monthly rides in Atlanta to deliver healthy food and personal care items to people in need. The group is called Cycling 4 Good, and it meets the last Sunday of every month at noon, at Loose Nuts Cycles in Atlanta. Sometimes, they have so much stuff to give away that they have to have a loaded car follow.

Jools Walker (@ladyvelo) fell in love with a Pashley Princess city bike in 2010 and—thankfully—chose to share that joy with the rest of us. Her blog, Vélo City Girl, focuses on cycling style and fashion, as well as how to get more people riding. Having worked within the industry for a bicycle apparel brand, and as a regular presenter on British network ITV4’s The Cycle Show, Jools is a pillar of style, and a much-needed voice for women of color in the U.K. cycling community. She's been , and her book, Back in the Frame, about finding cycling late in life, is also out this spring.

Sam Scipio (@salmonilla) does all the things. Within her first year of racing, she and her singlespeed bikes competed in cyclocross, a 24-hour mountain bike race, the Dirty Kanza 200, and more. She also tested her legs in a few road criteriums, and even won the singlespeed women’s category at Gravel Worlds. In 2018, the Liv Cycling athlete took on the 2018 Tour Divide race—yes, on a singlespeed. I can’t wait to see what she gets herself into next.

Justin Williams (@juswilliamz) is the current amateur U.S. National Road and Criterium champion. His back-to-back title wins at the USA Cycling national championships in August 2018 were the cap on a season that already included pro-field victories at races like the Harlem Skyscraper Classic and the Manhattan Beach Grand Prix, and the Cross Country Cycling Classic in Belize. Williams is known for being a vocal proponent for diversity in bike racing, most notably through his work with the CNCPT development team. This season, Williams and his brothers, Corey and CJ, have assembled a new, elite-level race squad called Legion of Los Angeles, to further their goals of increasing inclusion.

A post shared by AztecCycles (@azteccycles) on Apr 3, 2018 at 3:51am PDT

Kris Dunbar and Michelle Veerasawmy (@azteccycles) own two local bike shops in the Atlanta metro area: Aztec Cycles, located just outside Stone Mountain Park, and Clutch, which they opened in 2018 as one of the few full-service bike shops on the west side of Atlanta. If customers can’t get their bike to a shop, this husband and wife team will go to them with their mobile bike shop. They also provide neutral support for various events in the area. Finally, Michelle hosts regular social L.I.P.S (Ladies Into Pedaling Successfully) rides to encourage more women to be confident and ride with a group.

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